
The official world records in the 10,000 metres are held by Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei with 26:11.00 minutes for men and Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey with 29:01.03 for women.[1]
The first world record in the men's 10,000 metres was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1912. The first ratified record, Jean Bouin's time of 30:58.8 minutes, had been run the year before. As of June 21, 2009, 37 men's world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.[2]
The first world record in the women's 10,000 metres was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1981. As of June 21, 2009, eight women's world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event.[3] Before the event was recognised by the IAAF as an official world record event the 3000 metres was the most common international women's long-distance track event, although women did sometimes compete over 10,000 m before its addition to the World Championships and Olympic programme in 1987 and 1988, respectively.[4]
Men

Pre-IAAF
Time | Athlete | Date | Place |
---|---|---|---|
32:35.0[a] | ![]() |
1847-04-05 | Peckham, United Kingdom |
32:09.0[b] | ![]() |
1882-03-25 | London, United Kingdom |
31:53.4[b] | ![]() |
1884-04-07 | London, United Kingdom |
31:40.0[b] | ![]() |
1884-07-28 | London, United Kingdom |
31:23.1 | ![]() |
1885-09-28 | London, United Kingdom |
31:02.4 | ![]() |
1904-11-05 | Glasgow, United Kingdom |
IAAF world records
Time | Athlete | Date | Place | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ratified | Auto | |||
30:58.8 | ![]() |
November 16, 1911 | Paris, France[2] | |
30:40.2 | ![]() |
June 22, 1921 | Stockholm, Sweden[2] | |
30:35.4 | ![]() |
May 25, 1924 | Helsinki, Finland[2] | |
30:23.2 | ![]() |
July 6, 1924 | Paris, France[2] | |
30:06.2 | ![]() |
August 31, 1924 | Kuopio, Finland[2] | |
30:05.6 | ![]() |
July 18, 1937 | Kouvola, Finland[2] | |
30:02.0 | ![]() |
September 29, 1938 | Tampere, Finland[2] | |
29:52.6 | ![]() |
September 17, 1939 | Helsinki, Finland[2] | |
29:35.4 | ![]() |
August 25, 1944 | Helsinki, Finland[2] | |
29:28.2 | ![]() |
June 11, 1949 | Ostrava, Czech Republic[2] | |
29:27.2 | ![]() |
September 1, 1949 | Kouvola, Finland[2] | |
29:21.2 | ![]() |
October 22, 1949 | Ostrava, Czech Republic[2] | |
29:02.6 | ![]() |
August 4, 1950 | Turku, Finland[2] | |
29:01.6 | ![]() |
November 1, 1953 | Stara Boleslav, Czech Republic[2] | |
28:54.2 | ![]() |
June 1, 1954 | Brussels, Belgium[2] | |
28:42.8 | ![]() |
July 15, 1956 | Budapest, Hungary[2] | |
28:30.4 | ![]() |
September 11, 1956 | Moscow, Soviet Union[2] | |
28:18.8 | ![]() |
October 15, 1960 | Kiev, Soviet Union[2] | |
28:18.2 | ![]() |
August 11, 1962 | Moscow, Soviet Union[2] | |
28:15.6 | ![]() |
December 18, 1963 | Melbourne, Australia[2] | |
27:39.4 | 27:39.89 | ![]() |
July 14, 1965 | Oslo, Norway[2] |
27:38.4 | 27:38.35 | ![]() |
September 3, 1972 | Munich, Germany[2] |
27:30.8 | 27:30.80 | ![]() |
July 13, 1973 | London, United Kingdom[2] |
27:30.5 | 27:30.47 | ![]() |
June 30, 1977 | Helsinki, Finland[2] |
27:22.4 | 27:22.47 | ![]() |
June 11, 1978 | Vienna, Austria[2] |
27:13.81 | ![]() |
July 2, 1984 | Stockholm, Sweden[2] | |
27:08.23 | ![]() |
August 18, 1989 | Berlin, Germany[2] | |
27:07.91 | ![]() |
July 5, 1993 | Stockholm, Sweden[2] | |
26:58.38 | ![]() |
July 10, 1993 | Oslo, Norway[2] | |
26:52.23 | ![]() |
July 22, 1994 | Oslo, Norway[2] | |
26:43.53 | ![]() |
June 5, 1995 | Hengelo, Netherlands[2] | |
26:38.08 | ![]() |
August 23, 1996 | Brussels, Belgium[2] | |
26:31.32 | ![]() |
July 4, 1997 | Oslo, Norway[2] | |
26:27.85 | ![]() |
August 22, 1997 | Brussels, Belgium[2] | |
26:22.75 | ![]() |
June 1, 1998 | Hengelo, Netherlands[2] | |
26:20.31 | ![]() |
June 8, 2004 | Ostrava, Czech Republic[2] | |
26:17.53 | ![]() |
August 26, 2005 | Brussels, Belgium[2] | |
26:11.00 | ![]() |
October 7, 2020 | Valencia, Spain |
Where present, the "Auto" column gives a fully automatic time that was additionally recorded where the ratified mark was hand-timed, or from which the ratified mark was rounded to the 10th of a second, depending on the rules then in place.
Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m from 1981.[2] However, Henry Rono's 27:22.4, timed to the hundredth at 27:22.47, was not adjusted from 1981.
Women

Pre-recognition
Time | Athlete | Date | Place |
---|---|---|---|
39:25.0 | ![]() |
1966 | ?[6] |
39:10.0 | ![]() |
1966 | ?[6] |
38:06.4 | ![]() |
1967-03-26 | Gormanstown, Ireland[6] |
35:30.5 | ![]() |
1970-05-09 | Milan, Italy[6] |
34:51.0 | ![]() |
1971-06-12 | Phoenix, United States[6] |
35:00.4 | ![]() |
1975-03-29 | Los Angeles, United States[6] |
34:01.4 | ![]() |
1975-08-20 | Wolfsburg, Germany[6] |
33:34.17 Mx | ![]() |
1977-03-19 | Hvidovre, Denmark[6] |
33:15.09 | ![]() |
1977-06-09 | Los Angeles, United States[6] |
32:43.2 | ![]() |
1978-01-22 | Băile Felix, Romania[6] |
31:45.4 Mx | ![]() |
1978-04-06 | Copenhagen, Denmark[6] |
32:30.80 | ![]() |
1981-08-07 | Moscow, Soviet Union[6] |
IAAF world records
Time | Athlete | Date | Place |
---|---|---|---|
32:17.20 | ![]() |
1981-10-19 | Moscow, Soviet Union[3] |
31:35.3 | ![]() |
1982-07-16 | Eugene, USA[3] |
31:35.01 | ![]() |
1983-05-29 | Krasnodar, Soviet Union[3] |
31:27.58 | ![]() |
1983-09-07 | Odessa, Soviet Union[3] |
31:13.78 | ![]() |
1984-06-24 | Kiev, Soviet Union[3] |
30:59.42 | ![]() |
1985-07-27 | Oslo, Norway[3] |
30:13.74 | ![]() |
1986-07-05 | Oslo, Norway[3] |
29:31.78 | ![]() |
1993-09-08 | Beijing, PR China[3] |
29:17.45 | ![]() |
2016-08-12 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[7] |
29:06.82 | ![]() |
2021-06-06 | Hengelo, Netherlands[8] |
29:01.03 | ![]() |
2021-06-08 | Hengelo, Netherlands[1] |
References
- 1 2 "Ratified: World records for Gidey". World Athletics (Press release). 26 July 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. 546, 551–552. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. 546, 643. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ↑ Main > Women, 10000 m > World Records Progression. Brinkster Track and Field. Retrieved on 2014-01-19.
- 1 2 10,000 meters outdoors. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2014-01-19.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hymans, Richard; Matrahazi, Imre. "IAAF World Records Progression" (PDF) (2015 ed.). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ↑ "World records ratified | PRESS-RELEASE | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ↑ "Sifan Hassan smashes 10,000m world record". olympics.nbcsports.com. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.